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{{Short description|Private college in East Orange, New Jersey (1893–1995)}} |
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{{about|the defunct private college in New Jersey|the Swedish university|Uppsala University}} |
{{about|the defunct private college in New Jersey|the Swedish university|Uppsala University}} |
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'''Upsala College''' ('''UC''') was a private college affiliated with the [[Swedish American|Swedish-American]] [[Augustana Synod]] (later the [[Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church]]) and located in [[East Orange, New Jersey|East Orange]] in [[Essex County, New Jersey]] in the United States. |
'''Upsala College''' ('''UC''') was a private college affiliated with the [[Swedish American|Swedish-American]] [[Augustana Synod]] (later the [[Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church]]) and located in [[East Orange, New Jersey|East Orange]] in [[Essex County, New Jersey]] in the United States. Upsala was founded in 1893 in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York City]], and moved to [[Kenilworth, New Jersey|Kenilworth]], and finally to East Orange in 1924. In the 1970s, Upsala considered moving to [[Wantage Township, New Jersey|Wantage Township]] in rural [[Sussex County, New Jersey|Sussex County]] (where it opened a satellite campus) as East Orange's crime problem magnified and social conditions deteriorated. However, the college administration and trustees chose to remain committed to East Orange. Declining enrollment and financial difficulties forced the school to close in 1995. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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===Early history (1893–1924)=== |
===Early history (1893–1924)=== |
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[[File:Upsala College NJ Kenilworth Campus circa 1906.jpg|thumb|right|In its early years, Upsala College was invited to build its campus in Kenilworth, New Jersey (seen here, circa 1906) where it operated for 25 years before moving to East Orange in 1924.]] |
[[File:Upsala College NJ Kenilworth Campus circa 1906.jpg|thumb|right|In its early years, Upsala College was invited to build its campus in Kenilworth, New Jersey (seen here, circa 1906) where it operated for 25 years before moving to East Orange in 1924.]] |
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Upsala College was founded at the 1893 annual meeting of the [[Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church|Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America]], known as the [[Augustana Synod]]—a Lutheran church body with roots in |
Upsala College was founded at the 1893 annual meeting of the [[Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church|Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America]], known as the [[Augustana Synod]]—a Lutheran church body with roots in the [[Swedish-Americans|Swedish]] immigrant community.{{efn|The Augustana Synod, which was known by several names over the years (as ''Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church'', ''Augustana Lutheran Synod'', ''Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America'' and ''Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America'') was merged into the Lutheran Church in America in 1962, which merged in 1987 with the two other national Lutheran bodies (''The American Lutheran Church'' and ''Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches'') to in 1988 form the ''[[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]]'' (ELCA).}}<ref name="ArdenAugustanaHalfMillion">Arden, G. Everett. ''Half a Million Swedes'' from Bonderud, Omar and Lutz, Charles. ''America's Lutherans'' (series). (Columbus Ohio: Wartburg Press, 1958).</ref><ref name="JohnstonAugSynodHistory1910">Johnston, Lawrence Albert. ''The Augustana Synod : a brief review of its history, 1860–1910''. (Rock Island, Illinois: Augustana Book Concern, 1910).</ref> The Augustana Synod placed emphasis on mission, ecumenism, and social service.<ref name="ArdenAugustanaHalfMillion" /> Meeting at [[Augustana College (Illinois)|Augustana College]] in [[Rock Island, Illinois]], the polity decided to open the college in [[Brooklyn, New York]], in October 1893.<ref name="JohnstonAugSynodHistory1910" />{{rp|p.122}} The Synod chose a young minister, the Rev. Lars Herman Beck (1859–1935), as the college's first president. Beck, a Swedish immigrant to the United States, had received his Ph.D. from [[Yale University]] in the previous year and turned down a teaching position at Yale to assume the post at Upsala.<ref name="UpsalaCollPresidentialPapersatAC">[http://www.augustana.edu/general-information/swenson-center-/archives/finding-aids/upsala-college-records/presidential-papers- "Series I Presidential Papers"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115013140/http://www.augustana.edu/general-information/swenson-center-/archives/finding-aids/upsala-college-records/presidential-papers- |date=January 15, 2015 }} in the [http://www.augustana.edu/general-information/swenson-center-/archives/finding-aids/upsala-college-records "Upsala College records, 1893–1995"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019075419/http://www.augustana.edu/general-information/swenson-center-/archives/finding-aids/upsala-college-records |date=October 19, 2014 }} held in the collection of the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center, Augustana College (Rock Island, Illinois). Retrieved August 16, 2013.</ref> |
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The name Upsala was chosen to honor both the historic [[Uppsala University]] in [[Sweden]] and the [[Uppsala Synod|Meeting of Uppsala]].{{efn|''Upsala'' is an historical variant spelling of Uppsala. The modern spelling featuring two ''p's'' replaced this historical spelling in the early of the twentieth century.}}<ref name="JohnstonAugSynodHistory1910" />{{rp|p.122–123}} That 1593 meeting—exactly 300 years before the founding of Upsala College—firmly established [[Lutheran Orthodoxy]] in Sweden after the attempts by King [[John III of Sweden|John III]] to reintroduce [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] liturgy.<ref>"N.F." [https://books.google.com/books?id=93ErAAAAYAAJ& |
The name Upsala was chosen to honor both the historic [[Uppsala University]] in [[Sweden]] and the [[Uppsala Synod|Meeting of Uppsala]].{{efn|''Upsala'' is an historical variant spelling of Uppsala. The modern spelling featuring two ''p's'' replaced this historical spelling in the early of the twentieth century.}}<ref name="JohnstonAugSynodHistory1910" />{{rp|p.122–123}} That 1593 meeting—exactly 300 years before the founding of Upsala College—firmly established [[Lutheran Orthodoxy]] in Sweden after the attempts by King [[John III of Sweden|John III]] to reintroduce [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] liturgy.<ref>"N.F." [https://books.google.com/books?id=93ErAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Upsala+The+Diet+of%22&pg=RA1-PA528 "Upsala, The Diet of"] (article) in Jacobs, Henry Eyster Jacobs, and Haas, John Augustus William (Rev.). ''The Lutheran Cyclopedia''. (New York: Charles Scribner Sons, 1899), 528–529.</ref> |
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On |
On October 3, 1893, Upsala College opened in the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Bethlehem Church in Brooklyn. The first day, Beck began instruction with 16 students.<ref name="CalmanUCEarlyYears">Calman, Alvin R. ''Upsala College: The Early Years'' (New York: Vantage Press, 1983).</ref>{{rp|p.10}} By the end of the year, Upsala had 75 students. Early instruction had been in [[Swedish language|Swedish]] as the student body largely consisted of Scandinavian immigrants. In 1897, the college moved to [[Kenilworth, New Jersey]] (formerly "New Orange, New Jersey") when the "New Orange Industrial Association" offered the young school fourteen acres of land. Upsala erected its first building on the Kenilworth campus in 1899.<ref name="JohnstonAugSynodHistory1910" />{{rp|p.122–123}} The college granted its first [[Bachelor of Arts]] (B.A.) degrees in 1905 to four students.<ref name="JohnstonAugSynodHistory1910" />{{rp|p.123–124}} By 1910, Upsala offered Bachelor of Arts in modern and classical languages, and [[Bachelor of Science]] (B.S.) degrees in Mathematics and Sciences, while offering a three-year college preparatory program, instruction in music for preparing "teachers of music, organist and choir leaders, and in general to afford its students a musical education", instruction in commerce and business to "train young men and women for a business career" and in [[stenography]] for students seeking "to fill positions as stenographers and private secretaries."<ref name="JohnstonAugSynodHistory1910" />{{rp|p.124}} While the college was identified by its connection with the Swedish Lutheran community, Upsala was the first college in New Jersey to admit women, and its student body welcomed students from many other nationalities and religions. In 1908, the student body consisted of "79 Swedes, 2 Finns, 1 Jew, 1 'American', 1 Chinese, 1 Korean, and 1 Persian"<ref name="CalmanUCEarlyYears" />{{rp|p.55}} |
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===East Orange campus (1924–1995)=== |
===East Orange campus (1924–1995)=== |
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===Wirths Campus in Wantage (1978–1992)=== |
===Wirths Campus in Wantage (1978–1992)=== |
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During the tenure of Upsala's sixth president, Rodney O. Felder, Upsala sought to expand and acquired a {{convert|245|acre|ha}} tract of land in rural [[Wantage Township, New Jersey|Wantage Township]] in [[Sussex County, New Jersey|Sussex County]] in northwestern New Jersey for the construction of a second campus which was called the "Wirths Campus." In 1978, the land a large family farm had been donated by [[Wallace R. Wirths|Wallace "Wally" Wirths]] (1921–2002), a former [[Westinghouse Corporation]] executive, author, local newspaper columnist and radio commentator.<ref name="UpsalaCollegeWirthsRecords">Augustana College (Rock Island, Illinois) [http://www.augustana.edu/x14859.xml Swenson Center Archives: Wirths Campus in Sussex County records |
During the tenure of Upsala's sixth president, Rodney O. Felder, Upsala sought to expand and acquired a {{convert|245|acre|ha}} tract of land in rural [[Wantage Township, New Jersey|Wantage Township]] in [[Sussex County, New Jersey|Sussex County]] in northwestern New Jersey for the construction of a second campus which was called the "Wirths Campus." In 1978, the land from a large family farm had been donated by [[Wallace R. Wirths|Wallace "Wally" Wirths]] (1921–2002), a former [[Westinghouse Corporation]] executive, author, local newspaper columnist and radio commentator.<ref name="UpsalaCollegeWirthsRecords">Augustana College (Rock Island, Illinois) [http://www.augustana.edu/x14859.xml Swenson Center Archives: Wirths Campus in Sussex County records – Series XIV, Boxes 1–6, folders 1–55]. Retrieved May 22, 2013.</ref> |
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Upsala did not erect any academic buildings on the property, and in these formative years held classes in existing buildings. |
Upsala did not erect any academic buildings on the property, and in these formative years held classes in existing buildings. A few graduates studied at the campus until 1992 when classes ceased and the trustees remained committed to East Orange.<ref name="UpsalaCollegeWirthsRecords" /><ref name="NYTWirthsUpsala">Strunksy, Steve. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/02/nyregion/in-brief-dream-of-a-college-tinged-with-sadness.html "IN BRIEF; Dream of a College Tinged With Sadness"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 2, 1998. (Retrieved July 10, 2012).</ref> But when the school closed down in 1995 and the school's assets were dissolved, the Wirths family bought back their farm in Wantage from the college for $75,000.<ref name="NYTWirthsUpsala" /> |
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===Decline and |
===Decline and closing=== |
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Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Upsala suffered from severe financial problems and a declining enrollment.<ref name="UpsalaNYTRevivalAttempt1992">Rothstein, Mervyn. [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/21/nyregion/against-odds-revival-for-troubled-college.html "IN BRIEF: Against Odds, Revival For Troubled College"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 21, 1992. (Retrieved July 10, 2012).</ref> |
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Upsala suffered from severe financial problems and a declining enrollment.<ref name="UpsalaNYTRevivalAttempt1992">Rothstein, Mervyn. [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/21/nyregion/against-odds-revival-for-troubled-college.html "IN BRIEF: Against Odds, Revival For Troubled College"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 21, 1992. (Retrieved July 10, 2012).</ref> The demographics of East Orange had changed in the aftermath of the Newark riots in the 1960s, and Upsala began to enroll larger numbers of minority students—a move thought to have upset the older Caucasian alumni and donors. East Orange's tax base and socio-economic conditions continued to deteriorate with an increase in crime statistics which made the college an unattractive setting for prospective students. By the early 1990s, the student body had decreased from approximately 1,500 to 435 when the school closed in 1995.<ref name="UpsalaNYTDoorsClosed1995">[https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/04/nyregion/in-brief-the-doors-are-closed-at-upsala-college.html "IN BRIEF: The Doors Are Closed At Upsala College"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 4, 1995. (Retrieved July 10, 2012).</ref> The [[Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools]] announced that as a result of the decline in academic standards and the school's ongoing financial problems, it would not be renewing Upsala College's accreditation. On May 1, 1995, the college's board of trustees voted to close the school when its accreditation expired on May 31, 1995.<ref name="UpsalaNYTDoorsClosed1995" /> The school closed with approximately US$12,500,000 in debt.<ref name="UpsalaNYTDoorsClosed1995" /> The school's ninth and last president, Paul V. DeLomba, a partner and project manager with the financial services and accountancy firm [[Price Waterhouse]],<ref>Allen, David Grayson and McDermott, Kathleen. ''Accounting for Success: A History of Price Waterhouse in America, 1890–1990''. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press, 1993), 268.</ref> was hired by the board of trustees to close the college and dissolve its assets.<ref name="UpsalaCollPresidentialPapersatAC" /> |
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After its closing in 1995, the college's East Orange campus was sold to the city for the use of the [[East Orange School District]] to build a new high school on half of the site constituting the college's East Campus. Several of the college buildings (including Beck Hall, Puder Hall, Viking Memorial Hall (gymnasium) and College Center) were incorporated into the new public secondary school, [[East Orange Campus High School]]. |
After its closing in 1995, the college's East Orange campus was sold to the city for the use of the [[East Orange School District]] to build a new high school on half of the site constituting the college's East Campus. Several of the college buildings (including Beck Hall, Puder Hall, Viking Memorial Hall (gymnasium) and College Center) were incorporated into the new public secondary school, [[East Orange Campus High School]]. During this time, the west campus deteriorated and became blighted and its buildings were looted, vandalized and one building lost to [[arson]].<ref>Walker, Steven. "East Orange fire officials blame arson for loss of old Upsala College building" in ''The Star-Ledger'' (March 31, 1998).</ref> This section of campus was slated for residential redevelopment by the city government, and demolished in 2006.<ref>Dilworth, Kevin. "Upsala campus headed for new heights" (February 6, 2000), "2 get nod to put housing on old Upsala campus" (October 31, 2003), "College campus preps for new career Developers close on deal for 20-acres destined for housing mix" (March 18, 2005), and "Hallowed halls reduced to rubble in East Orange" (March 31, 2006) in ''The Star-Ledger''.</ref> The demolition of the West Campus was featured in the [[List of Dirty Jobs episodes#Season 2 (2005-2007)|"Coal Miner" episode in season 2]] of the [[Discovery Channel]] television program ''[[Dirty Jobs]]'' that aired on August 8, 2006.<ref>"Dirty Jobs" (television programme), Episode #220 "Coal Miner" (2006).</ref> |
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Upsala's [[campus radio]] station, [[WFMU]], remains in operation; a nonprofit company known as Auricle Communications purchased WFMU's license shortly before Upsala was closed. |
Upsala's [[campus radio]] station, [[WFMU]], remains in operation; a nonprofit company known as Auricle Communications purchased WFMU's license shortly before Upsala was closed. |
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The majority, if not entirety, of the Upsala's library was sold to the newly established [[Florida Gulf Coast University]] in Fort Myers, FL. Its first classes were held in August 1997 with the books making up its original library.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/07/nyregion/on-campus-sold-piece-by-piece-upsala-college-vanishes.html ON CAMPUS;Sold Piece by Piece, Upsala College Vanishes]</ref> |
The majority, if not entirety, of the Upsala's library was sold to the newly established [[Florida Gulf Coast University]] in Fort Myers, FL. Its first classes were held in August 1997 with the books making up its original library.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/07/nyregion/on-campus-sold-piece-by-piece-upsala-college-vanishes.html ON CAMPUS;Sold Piece by Piece, Upsala College Vanishes]</ref> |
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Upsala transcripts can be obtained from [[Felician University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://felician.edu/academics/office-of-the-registrar/upsala-transcripts/ |title=Upsala Transcripts |access-date=3 July 2022}}</ref> The college records were given to [[Augustana College (Illinois)|Augustana College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.augustana.edu/swenson/collections/archives/IO58 |title=Upsala College (East Orange, N.J.) records, 1893–1995 |access-date=3 July 2022}}</ref> |
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There is an Upsala College Alumni group on [[Facebook]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/2355638947/ |title=Upsala College Alumni |website=[[Facebook]] |access-date=3 July 2022}}</ref> |
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==Notable people== |
==Notable people== |
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==Upsala College in popular culture== |
==Upsala College in popular culture== |
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* The characters Seymour "Swede" Levov and his wife Dawn Levov in [[Philip Roth]]'s [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction|Pulitzer Prize-winning]] 1997 novel ''[[American Pastoral]]'' are graduates of Upsala.<ref>Roth, Philip. ''American Pastoral'' (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997), passim.</ref> The character of Levov is based on [[Swede Masin|Seymour "Swede" Masin]] (1920–2005), a popular Jewish athlete from Newark, New Jersey. However, Masin did not attend Upsala—he attended [[Panzer College]], a teachers' college that later merged with [[Montclair State University]].<ref>Friend, Tad. [http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1997/05/26/1997_05_26_029_TNY_CARDS_000376221 "The Talk of the Town |
* The characters Seymour "Swede" Levov and his wife Dawn Levov in [[Philip Roth]]'s [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction|Pulitzer Prize-winning]] 1997 novel ''[[American Pastoral]]'' are graduates of Upsala.<ref>Roth, Philip. ''American Pastoral'' (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997), passim.</ref> The character of Levov is based on [[Swede Masin|Seymour "Swede" Masin]] (1920–2005), a popular Jewish athlete from Newark, New Jersey. However, Masin did not attend Upsala—he attended [[Panzer College]], a teachers' college that later merged with [[Montclair State University]].<ref>Friend, Tad. [http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1997/05/26/1997_05_26_029_TNY_CARDS_000376221 "The Talk of the Town – Ink"] in ''The New Yorker'' (May 26, 1997), 29; Lichtenstein, Gene. "A Writer's Journey (A Literary Essay and, in Part, a Memoir)." in ''Jewish Social Studies'' (Spring–Summer 1997), 3(3):156–176.</ref> |
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* The 2001 film ''[[Riding in Cars with Boys]]'' directed by [[Penny Marshall]] and starring [[Drew Barrymore]] was filmed on the campus. |
* The 2001 film ''[[Riding in Cars with Boys]]'' directed by [[Penny Marshall]] and starring [[Drew Barrymore]] was filmed on the campus. It was based on an autobiography of the same name by [[Beverly Donofrio]]. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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===References=== |
===References=== |
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{{reflist|33em}} |
{{reflist|33em}} |
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==Other reading== |
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*''Swedes And Deeds: The Ups And Downs Of Upsala College''; Schaad, Jacob, Jr.; {Meadville, PA: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc., 2021 |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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* [http://www.upsala65.com/upsala/index.html Bill Taebel's website on Upsala College] |
* [http://www.upsala65.com/upsala/index.html Bill Taebel's website on Upsala College] |
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* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/upsalacollege Upsala photographs on Flickr.com] |
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/upsalacollege Upsala photographs on Flickr.com] |
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* ''[ |
* ''[https://runeberg.org/hvar8dag/3/3611.html I nya Uppsala. Bref från Carl Sundbeck]'' (Swedish, "In New Uppsala. Letter from Carl Sundbeck"), article in the Swedish periodical ''Hvar 8 Dag'', 3:36 (1902). |
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050527071652/http://www.eastorange-nj.org/Press%20Releases/Woodlands%20at%20Upsala.htm City of East Orange |
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050527071652/http://www.eastorange-nj.org/Press%20Releases/Woodlands%20at%20Upsala.htm City of East Orange – Press Release: Groundbreaking Ceremonies for Woodlands at Upsala] |
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* [http://www.wfmu.org Website of former Upsala College radio station] |
* [http://www.wfmu.org Website of former Upsala College radio station] |
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[[Category:Upsala College| ]] |
[[Category:Upsala College| ]] |
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[[Category:1893 establishments in New Jersey]] |
[[Category:1893 establishments in New Jersey]] |
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[[Category:1995 disestablishments in New Jersey]] |
[[Category:1995 disestablishments in New Jersey]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1893]] |
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[[Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 1995]] |
[[Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 1995]] |
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[[Category:East Orange, New Jersey]] |
[[Category:East Orange, New Jersey]] |
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[[Category:Sussex County, New Jersey]] |
[[Category:Sussex County, New Jersey]] |
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[[Category:Universities and colleges in New Jersey]] |
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[[Category:Universities and colleges in Essex County, New Jersey]] |
[[Category:Universities and colleges in Essex County, New Jersey]] |
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[[Category:Defunct universities and colleges in New Jersey]] |
[[Category:Defunct private universities and colleges in New Jersey]] |
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Latest revision as of 02:34, 16 April 2024
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| Latin: Collegii Upsaliensis | |
| Motto | Vincit omnia veritas |
|---|---|
Motto in English | Truth Conquers All |
| Type | Private Liberal Arts College |
| Active | 1893–1995 |
| Affiliation | Augustana Synod, (Lutheran) |
| President | Institution closed |
| Location | , , 40°46′34″N 74°12′29″W / 40.776064°N 74.208146°W |
| Campus | Urban |
| Nickname | Vikings |
Upsala College (UC) was a private college affiliated with the Swedish-American Augustana Synod (later the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church) and located in East Orange in Essex County, New Jersey in the United States. Upsala was founded in 1893 in Brooklyn, New York City, and moved to Kenilworth, and finally to East Orange in 1924. In the 1970s, Upsala considered moving to Wantage Township in rural Sussex County (where it opened a satellite campus) as East Orange's crime problem magnified and social conditions deteriorated. However, the college administration and trustees chose to remain committed to East Orange. Declining enrollment and financial difficulties forced the school to close in 1995.
History[edit]
Early history (1893–1924)[edit]
Upsala College was founded at the 1893 annual meeting of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America, known as the Augustana Synod—a Lutheran church body with roots in the Swedish immigrant community.[a][1][2] The Augustana Synod placed emphasis on mission, ecumenism, and social service.[1] Meeting at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, the polity decided to open the college in Brooklyn, New York, in October 1893.[2]: p.122 The Synod chose a young minister, the Rev. Lars Herman Beck (1859–1935), as the college's first president. Beck, a Swedish immigrant to the United States, had received his Ph.D. from Yale University in the previous year and turned down a teaching position at Yale to assume the post at Upsala.[3]
The name Upsala was chosen to honor both the historic Uppsala University in Sweden and the Meeting of Uppsala.[b][2]: p.122–123 That 1593 meeting—exactly 300 years before the founding of Upsala College—firmly established Lutheran Orthodoxy in Sweden after the attempts by King John III to reintroduce Roman Catholic liturgy.[4]
On October 3, 1893, Upsala College opened in the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Bethlehem Church in Brooklyn. The first day, Beck began instruction with 16 students.[5]: p.10 By the end of the year, Upsala had 75 students. Early instruction had been in Swedish as the student body largely consisted of Scandinavian immigrants. In 1897, the college moved to Kenilworth, New Jersey (formerly "New Orange, New Jersey") when the "New Orange Industrial Association" offered the young school fourteen acres of land. Upsala erected its first building on the Kenilworth campus in 1899.[2]: p.122–123 The college granted its first Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees in 1905 to four students.[2]: p.123–124 By 1910, Upsala offered Bachelor of Arts in modern and classical languages, and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees in Mathematics and Sciences, while offering a three-year college preparatory program, instruction in music for preparing "teachers of music, organist and choir leaders, and in general to afford its students a musical education", instruction in commerce and business to "train young men and women for a business career" and in stenography for students seeking "to fill positions as stenographers and private secretaries."[2]: p.124 While the college was identified by its connection with the Swedish Lutheran community, Upsala was the first college in New Jersey to admit women, and its student body welcomed students from many other nationalities and religions. In 1908, the student body consisted of "79 Swedes, 2 Finns, 1 Jew, 1 'American', 1 Chinese, 1 Korean, and 1 Persian"[5]: p.55
East Orange campus (1924–1995)[edit]
The college moved to East Orange in 1924 after purchasing a 45-acre site in the city in the previous year.
After the passage of Title IX, Audrey Donnelly became the school's Women's Tennis Coach.
In 1989, Upsala hosted the National Forensics Association national collegiate speech championship, which featured over 1,100 competitors over five days of competition.
However, the surrounding community's crime rate increased, and student enrollment declined throughout the late 1970s and 1980s.
Upsala's men basketball team made it to the 1980 NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship, losing to North Park University, 83 to 76.
Wirths Campus in Wantage (1978–1992)[edit]
During the tenure of Upsala's sixth president, Rodney O. Felder, Upsala sought to expand and acquired a 245 acres (99 ha) tract of land in rural Wantage Township in Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey for the construction of a second campus which was called the "Wirths Campus." In 1978, the land from a large family farm had been donated by Wallace "Wally" Wirths (1921–2002), a former Westinghouse Corporation executive, author, local newspaper columnist and radio commentator.[6]
Upsala did not erect any academic buildings on the property, and in these formative years held classes in existing buildings. A few graduates studied at the campus until 1992 when classes ceased and the trustees remained committed to East Orange.[6][7] But when the school closed down in 1995 and the school's assets were dissolved, the Wirths family bought back their farm in Wantage from the college for $75,000.[7]
Decline and closing[edit]
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Upsala suffered from severe financial problems and a declining enrollment.[8] The demographics of East Orange had changed in the aftermath of the Newark riots in the 1960s, and Upsala began to enroll larger numbers of minority students—a move thought to have upset the older Caucasian alumni and donors. East Orange's tax base and socio-economic conditions continued to deteriorate with an increase in crime statistics which made the college an unattractive setting for prospective students. By the early 1990s, the student body had decreased from approximately 1,500 to 435 when the school closed in 1995.[9] The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools announced that as a result of the decline in academic standards and the school's ongoing financial problems, it would not be renewing Upsala College's accreditation. On May 1, 1995, the college's board of trustees voted to close the school when its accreditation expired on May 31, 1995.[9] The school closed with approximately US$12,500,000 in debt.[9] The school's ninth and last president, Paul V. DeLomba, a partner and project manager with the financial services and accountancy firm Price Waterhouse,[10] was hired by the board of trustees to close the college and dissolve its assets.[3]
Legacy[edit]
After its closing in 1995, the college's East Orange campus was sold to the city for the use of the East Orange School District to build a new high school on half of the site constituting the college's East Campus. Several of the college buildings (including Beck Hall, Puder Hall, Viking Memorial Hall (gymnasium) and College Center) were incorporated into the new public secondary school, East Orange Campus High School. During this time, the west campus deteriorated and became blighted and its buildings were looted, vandalized and one building lost to arson.[11] This section of campus was slated for residential redevelopment by the city government, and demolished in 2006.[12] The demolition of the West Campus was featured in the "Coal Miner" episode in season 2 of the Discovery Channel television program Dirty Jobs that aired on August 8, 2006.[13]
Upsala's campus radio station, WFMU, remains in operation; a nonprofit company known as Auricle Communications purchased WFMU's license shortly before Upsala was closed.
The majority, if not entirety, of the Upsala's library was sold to the newly established Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL. Its first classes were held in August 1997 with the books making up its original library.[14]
Upsala transcripts can be obtained from Felician University.[15] The college records were given to Augustana College.[16]
There is an Upsala College Alumni group on Facebook.[17]
Notable people[edit]
Upsala College in popular culture[edit]
- The characters Seymour "Swede" Levov and his wife Dawn Levov in Philip Roth's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1997 novel American Pastoral are graduates of Upsala.[18] The character of Levov is based on Seymour "Swede" Masin (1920–2005), a popular Jewish athlete from Newark, New Jersey. However, Masin did not attend Upsala—he attended Panzer College, a teachers' college that later merged with Montclair State University.[19]
- The 2001 film Riding in Cars with Boys directed by Penny Marshall and starring Drew Barrymore was filmed on the campus. It was based on an autobiography of the same name by Beverly Donofrio.
See also[edit]
- List of colleges and universities in New Jersey
- List of Lutheran colleges and universities in the United States
Notes and references[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ The Augustana Synod, which was known by several names over the years (as Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church, Augustana Lutheran Synod, Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America and Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America) was merged into the Lutheran Church in America in 1962, which merged in 1987 with the two other national Lutheran bodies (The American Lutheran Church and Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches) to in 1988 form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
- ^ Upsala is an historical variant spelling of Uppsala. The modern spelling featuring two p's replaced this historical spelling in the early of the twentieth century.
References[edit]
- ^ a b Arden, G. Everett. Half a Million Swedes from Bonderud, Omar and Lutz, Charles. America's Lutherans (series). (Columbus Ohio: Wartburg Press, 1958).
- ^ a b c d e f Johnston, Lawrence Albert. The Augustana Synod : a brief review of its history, 1860–1910. (Rock Island, Illinois: Augustana Book Concern, 1910).
- ^ a b "Series I Presidential Papers" Archived January 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine in the "Upsala College records, 1893–1995" Archived October 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine held in the collection of the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center, Augustana College (Rock Island, Illinois). Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ^ "N.F." "Upsala, The Diet of" (article) in Jacobs, Henry Eyster Jacobs, and Haas, John Augustus William (Rev.). The Lutheran Cyclopedia. (New York: Charles Scribner Sons, 1899), 528–529.
- ^ a b Calman, Alvin R. Upsala College: The Early Years (New York: Vantage Press, 1983).
- ^ a b Augustana College (Rock Island, Illinois) Swenson Center Archives: Wirths Campus in Sussex County records – Series XIV, Boxes 1–6, folders 1–55. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
- ^ a b Strunksy, Steve. "IN BRIEF; Dream of a College Tinged With Sadness", The New York Times, August 2, 1998. (Retrieved July 10, 2012).
- ^ Rothstein, Mervyn. "IN BRIEF: Against Odds, Revival For Troubled College", The New York Times, September 21, 1992. (Retrieved July 10, 2012).
- ^ a b c "IN BRIEF: The Doors Are Closed At Upsala College", The New York Times, June 4, 1995. (Retrieved July 10, 2012).
- ^ Allen, David Grayson and McDermott, Kathleen. Accounting for Success: A History of Price Waterhouse in America, 1890–1990. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press, 1993), 268.
- ^ Walker, Steven. "East Orange fire officials blame arson for loss of old Upsala College building" in The Star-Ledger (March 31, 1998).
- ^ Dilworth, Kevin. "Upsala campus headed for new heights" (February 6, 2000), "2 get nod to put housing on old Upsala campus" (October 31, 2003), "College campus preps for new career Developers close on deal for 20-acres destined for housing mix" (March 18, 2005), and "Hallowed halls reduced to rubble in East Orange" (March 31, 2006) in The Star-Ledger.
- ^ "Dirty Jobs" (television programme), Episode #220 "Coal Miner" (2006).
- ^ ON CAMPUS;Sold Piece by Piece, Upsala College Vanishes
- ^ "Upsala Transcripts". Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "Upsala College (East Orange, N.J.) records, 1893–1995". Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "Upsala College Alumni". Facebook. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ Roth, Philip. American Pastoral (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997), passim.
- ^ Friend, Tad. "The Talk of the Town – Ink" in The New Yorker (May 26, 1997), 29; Lichtenstein, Gene. "A Writer's Journey (A Literary Essay and, in Part, a Memoir)." in Jewish Social Studies (Spring–Summer 1997), 3(3):156–176.
Other reading[edit]
- Swedes And Deeds: The Ups And Downs Of Upsala College; Schaad, Jacob, Jr.; {Meadville, PA: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc., 2021
External links[edit]
- Upsala College Alumni Page
- Jim Coleman's website on Upsala College
- Bill Taebel's website on Upsala College
- Upsala photographs on Flickr.com
- I nya Uppsala. Bref från Carl Sundbeck (Swedish, "In New Uppsala. Letter from Carl Sundbeck"), article in the Swedish periodical Hvar 8 Dag, 3:36 (1902).
- City of East Orange – Press Release: Groundbreaking Ceremonies for Woodlands at Upsala
- Website of former Upsala College radio station
Categories:
- Upsala College
- 1893 establishments in New Jersey
- 1995 disestablishments in New Jersey
- Universities and colleges established in 1893
- Educational institutions disestablished in 1995
- East Orange, New Jersey
- Sussex County, New Jersey
- Universities and colleges in Essex County, New Jersey
- Defunct private universities and colleges in New Jersey